The World Series of Poker Europe is held in London each year and attracts all of the top international talent. It is also the only poker series outside of the U.S. that offers WSOP bracelets . The WSOPE Main Event 2009 was held from September 19th to October 2nd at which time Barry Shulman was declared the winner.

 

Shulman won the final hand with a pair of tens over his opponent’s pair of fours. The WSOPE Main Event continues to draw large crowds both in person and for their telecasts. Analysts from around the world spend many hours commenting on and dissecting the play of some of the best poker players in the world.

The first World Series of Poker Europe took place in 2007, and Betfair Poker Pro Annette Obrestad took the first ever WSOPE title and £1 million first prize. The 2009 WSOPE Main Event attracted more than 300 of the world’s top player.

 

 

Most Popular European Poker Tournament - The WSOPE

The World Series of Poker Europe is the biggest poker series, with the biggest single-event prize pool in Europe. The European Poker Tour, another European poker tournament, has scheduled seven 90-minute TV shows around the seven events:  the Russian Open in Moscow, the Barcelona Open in Barcelona, the London Open in London, the Warsaw Open in Warsaw, the Vilamoura in Portugal, the Prague Open in Prague, and the Poker Caribbean Adventure in the Bahamas.

These are some of the most popular European poker sites. While not as large as the World Series of Poker Europe, these and other European tournaments, like the European Poker Championship in Baden, Germany in October, continue to build on the increasing popularity of poker worldwide.

The European Masters of Poker tournaments start in November 2009 and continue until December 2010, with play at European poker sites in Poland, Portugal, Italy, Bulgaria, Spain, and Malta. The championship finishes up on a cruise in December for the winners of the leader board competition. Their first year, with only five stops, they attracted over 1,000 players and paid out over €1.6 million (over $2.3 million).

Most of these tournaments play No Limit Texas Hold’em, the same game played at the WSOPE Main Event. While some, like the European Poker Championship, play 7 Card Stud for part of the tournament, the majority of the games and especially the finals, usually play Texas Hold'em.

With all of these tournaments, plus many others, poker is gaining more popularity every year in Europe, just as it is in the rest of the world.